Hey guys Im a proud owner of Delonghi Magnifica S automatic espresso machine for 6 months now. Our water is super hard with loads of scale and I have been cleaning (descaling) machine with Delonghi EcoDecalc, but friend recommends this one (much cheaper):

Is this safe to use? It says it contains citric, lactic and malic acid. It also says to use 50 ml on 500 ml of water while Delonghi EcoDecalc should be 100 ml on 1700 ml (I think) of water. Its almost 2x difference and I was thinking if acids are simmilar I should use 100 ml of acid for full tank anyway.

We abuse our machine by making loads of coffe and tea. With scale settings on max we get descaling alarm every 3-4 weeks. It used to be on medium settings, but machine almost clogged completely once…so thats why max settings. Delonghi liquid is not cheap, but dont want to take any risk for 30€ a year. On the other hand, I dont want to pay 10€ for a 2-3€ product just because it says Delonghi on the bottle.

What do you use for your machine? How often do you descale?

  • @catch22
    1•3 months ago

    Another approach:

    Could you just use one of those brita pitchers that purify the water? (Just use it for your espresso maker)

    https://www.brita.com/water-pitchers/

    I think their filters contain water softeners.

    • @[email protected]OP
      1•3 months ago

      Thx, the link is broken but I know what you mean. I never thought about that, but I was thinking about filtration system thut mounts under the sink. Would like to avoid aditional container if possible, but I should learn more about water filtration first. I have water filter in coffe machine. Not sure does it soften the water, but it doesnt help much. Is brita better for that purpose or should I use both?